Observation/Reflection #5 - How Do We Stop This Thing?
Observation:
When observing how my CT ends her lesson/activities, I don't always notice complete consistency. Sometimes she lectures right up until the bell, or almost until the bell, then quickly writes down homework on the board telling them to copy it. Many students scramble around trying to write it as quickly as they can, some in their planners, others on the hands. In the rush, other students don't bother copy the homework down. Other times, my CT ends by quickly wrapping up the lesson then writing the homework on the board, giving them time to copy it and process what she is saying. Lastly, sometimes the students have some "dead time" and sit and talk until the bell. This usually happens when they have a lab or activity. Sometimes my CT overestimates the time it would take the students to clean up, so they are left with about 5 minutes to themselves. So basically I guess that it depends on the day, the class and the activities on how she wraps up the class. I don't know if she just looses track of time, but it doesn't appear extremely routine to me. I feel the students take best to the unrushed environments though. When the students are leaving the room, she is almost always packing up her cart in the classroom.
Reflection:
As a teacher, I would like more routine in my classroom so that the students will know what to expect and to minimize anxiety. I feel that an organized and structured classroom has more potential to be a productive classroom. In comparison to my CT, I would have the homework written on the board when they come in, so they have sufficient time to write it down and ask about it. I plan on having them do journal entries when they first walk in every day, and they could use this time to write it down. These homework assignments would be fully thought out and written in my plan book, so I don't have to scramble around looking for something for them to do and/or assign something that I didn't want to.
I would want to wrap up lessons around 5 minutes before the bell rings, so that I could quickly review and give them more of an opportunity to ask questions. I do not want "dead time" though, because that is just wasted time, so I would have to plan accordingly. In my plan book, I plan on bulleting the main topic I cover, so it would be a good reference for review. To make sure I don't lecture until the bell, on my desk, or somewhere visible only to me, I would have a small timer so that I could see at any given moment how much time is left in the period. This could help me judge whether or not to move onto new topics, and will help me judge when to stop and start review. I feel that labs/activities would have to be on a more trail basis to determine how long it generally takes them to clean up, but once we determine that, I still want the 5 minutes to wrap up and review with them. In addition, I really want to walk them out the door and say bye to them, not just pack myself up. I know that it is difficult and hectic for my CT because of the construction and teaching from a cart situation, but it is helping me to see extremes in teaching and helping me to see what I do and don't want to do!
Observation/Reflection #5 - How Do We Stop This Thing?
Observation:
When observing how my CT ends her lesson/activities, I don't always notice complete consistency. Sometimes she lectures right up until the bell, or almost until the bell, then quickly writes down homework on the board telling them to copy it. Many students scramble around trying to write it as quickly as they can, some in their planners, others on the hands. In the rush, other students don't bother copy the homework down. Other times, my CT ends by quickly wrapping up the lesson then writing the homework on the board, giving them time to copy it and process what she is saying. Lastly, sometimes the students have some "dead time" and sit and talk until the bell. This usually happens when they have a lab or activity. Sometimes my CT overestimates the time it would take the students to clean up, so they are left with about 5 minutes to themselves. So basically I guess that it depends on the day, the class and the activities on how she wraps up the class. I don't know if she just looses track of time, but it doesn't appear extremely routine to me. I feel the students take best to the unrushed environments though. When the students are leaving the room, she is almost always packing up her cart in the classroom.
Reflection:
As a teacher, I would like more routine in my classroom so that the students will know what to expect and to minimize anxiety. I feel that an organized and structured classroom has more potential to be a productive classroom. In comparison to my CT, I would have the homework written on the board when they come in, so they have sufficient time to write it down and ask about it. I plan on having them do journal entries when they first walk in every day, and they could use this time to write it down. These homework assignments would be fully thought out and written in my plan book, so I don't have to scramble around looking for something for them to do and/or assign something that I didn't want to.
I would want to wrap up lessons around 5 minutes before the bell rings, so that I could quickly review and give them more of an opportunity to ask questions. I do not want "dead time" though, because that is just wasted time, so I would have to plan accordingly. In my plan book, I plan on bulleting the main topic I cover, so it would be a good reference for review. To make sure I don't lecture until the bell, on my desk, or somewhere visible only to me, I would have a small timer so that I could see at any given moment how much time is left in the period. This could help me judge whether or not to move onto new topics, and will help me judge when to stop and start review. I feel that labs/activities would have to be on a more trail basis to determine how long it generally takes them to clean up, but once we determine that, I still want the 5 minutes to wrap up and review with them. In addition, I really want to walk them out the door and say bye to them, not just pack myself up. I know that it is difficult and hectic for my CT because of the construction and teaching from a cart situation, but it is helping me to see extremes in teaching and helping me to see what I do and don't want to do!